Reading stand



April 2, 1968 Y J. A. DOMINO 3,376,009

READING STAND Filed June 21, 1966 2 SheetsSheet 1 JOHN A. DOMIAIOINVENTOR m/fm A 77'ORNEVS J. A. DOMINO READING STAND April 2, 1968 2Sheets-Sheet Filed June 21, 1966 JOHN A. DOM/N0 INVENTOR fM AWDRNEVSUnited States Patent 3,376,009 READING STAND John A. Domino, 5283 E.Huntington Blvd., Fresno, Calif. 93702 Filed June 21, 1966, Ser. No.559,287 1 Claim. (Cl. 248-456) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A stand forsupporting reading materials and the like providing a wire base having asubstantially rigid wire 'back support pivotally mounted thereon and abrace pivotally mounted on the back support and adjustably engageablewith the base to hold the back support in selected angular positions,and a material supporting trough adjustably removably mounted on thebase for dependably clamping materials against said back support.

Background 0 the invention There are many situations in which it isinconvenient or difficult to hold reading materials, such as books,magazines, plans, notebooks or the like, in proper position for reading.This is usually the case when a person must perform some other operationwhile reading, When following directions from a cookbook, constructingsomething from plans, copying school homework, or typing from ashorthand book or a rough draft it is inconvenient to have to hold abook or read from it as it rests flatly on a counter, desk, or table.Furthermore, reading from materials which are not properly positionedwith respect to the reader causes eye strain, often produces headachesand can permanently impair the readers vision.

In the past, various devices have been contrived which, to varyingdegrees of success, permit reading materials to be held in positionwithout the necessity of having the reader hold the materials. However,these devices have usually been of a rather bulky construction which isrelatively difficult to store and which takes up an appreciable amountof space when in use. Furthermore, these devices often are of such aheavy, rough construction that they can easily damage the readingmaterials or surfaces on which the devices are placed.

Summary of the invention Therefore, it is an object of the presentinvention to provide an improved reading stand which has a wire base,back support and brace members providing loop portions affording pivotalconnections between the members and supports for the base, and a troughfor clamping articles against said back support with the trough beingcompletely removable from the stand.

Another object is to provide such a reading stand which is adjustable tosupport reading materials in the most advantageous position for reading.

Another object is to provide such a reading stand which takes up aminimum amount of space when in use.

Another object is to provide such a reading stand which is collapsibleto take up a minimum amount of space in storage.

Another object is to provide such a reading stand which is constructedso that it will not damage surfaces on which it is placed or the readingmaterials supported thereon.

Another object is to provide such a reading stand which if oflightweight although sturdy construction.

Another object is to provide such a reading stand which is inexpensiveto construct.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide improvedelements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes setforth, which is fully effective in achieving its intended purposes.

3,376,009 Patented Apr. 2, 1968 These, together with other objects andadvantages of the present invention, will become more fully apparentupon reference to the following description in the specification andaccompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the device of the present invention shownresting on a support surface and showing a book in dashed lines inposition for reading.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2 ofthe device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective of a book rest incorporated in the device of thepresent invention,

FIG. 6 is a somewhat enlarged section taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, a stand embodying theprinciples of the present invention for supporting reading mate-rials isgenerally indicated by the numeral 10. The stand provides a rigid,rectangular wire base 11. The Wire has a pair of opposite ends 12 whichare held in abutment against each other by a sleeve 13 received overthem and aflixed thereto, as by welding. or crimping of the sleeve. Thewire base has longitudinal sides 14, as best shown in FIG. 1, andprovides a forward or resting portion 15 and a rearward or adjustmentportion 16. The sides of the base have opposite, looped mountingportions 21 formed therein adjacent to the resting portion, as bestshown in FIGS. 2 and 4. A plurality of adjustment stops 22 areindividually mounted in predetermined corresponding spaced relation onthe sides of the adjustment portion of the wire base and upwardlyextended therefrom. Each of the stops is in opposite correspondingalignment with an adjustment stop on the opposite side.

The stand 10 also provides a back support 23, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3,and 4. The back support includes a generally U-shaped wire frame 24having opposite sides 25. The wire frame also provides distal ends 26which are bent oppositely outwardly substantially normal to the sidesand in the plane thereof. The distal ends serve as axles and arerotatably received in the looped mounting portions 21 of the wire base11. A cross bar 30 is mounted, as by welding, between and normal to theopposite sides of the wire frame thus helping to maintain the oppositesides in predetermined spaced relation. Hence the distal ends aremaintained in the mounting portions and consequently theback support ispivotally mounted on the wire base. The opposite sides of the backsupport have corresponding opposite looped portions 31 as best shown inFIGS. 2, 3 and 4.

The stand 10 further provides -a substantially U-shaped rigid Wireadjustment brace 32. The brace provides a pair of opposite slightlyconverging support arms 33 integral therewith. The arms have distal ends34 which are bent oppositely outwardly in the plane thereof. Thesedistal ends serve as axles and are rotatably received in the loopedportions 31 of the back support 23 thus pivotally mounting the bracerotatably thereon. The brace also has a stop bar portion 35 whichinterconnects the support arms and of sufiicient length so that itextends over the sides 14, as best shown in FIG. 1.

A sheet metal book rest or trough 36, having opposite, curved mountinghooks 37 and an upwardly bent lip 38 therebetween, is slidably receivedon the resting portion 15 of the wire base 11 with the hooks slidablymounted on the sides 14 and the lip upwardly disposed in spaced relationto the back support 23. The book rest is both slidably positionable withrespect to the back support and 3 completely removable from the base 11.Every element of the stand is preferably covered with a thin protecitvecoating 39 of a non-abrasive substance such as plastic.

Operation The operation of the described embodiment of the subjectinvention is believed to be readily apparent and is briefly summarizedat this point. The stand 10 is arranged for use as shown in FIGS. 1, 2,3, and 4. In this arrangement, the stop bar 35 is braced against theappropriate corresponding adjustment stops 22 to maintain the backsupport 23 at the desired angle with respect to the wire base 11 formost advantageously supporting reading materials to be placed thereon,as designated in dashed lines in FIG. 2 and indicated by the numeral 40.The reading stand is subsequently positioned in the desired location onthe surface 41 of a table, counter, desk or the like. When the readingmaterial supported on the stand possesses appropriate rigidity, such asa shorthand notebook, it may be placed directly on the forward orresting portion 15 of the wire base and leaned against the back support.However, when the reading material does not have such rigidity or caseof handling, the book rest 36 can be received on the sides 14 of theresting portion, as best shown in FIG. 4. The reading material is placedin position on the book rest leaning on the back support. The book restprevents opened books, for exam ple, from collapsing between the sidesof the wire base and thus closing. The lip 38 keeps the reading materialfrom sliding forwardly off the book rest and is suitable for holding abook open.

The back support 23 can obviously be adjusted to a variety of angleswith respect to the base 11 for most advantageously holding the readingmaterial placed there against. The book rest 36 can be slidably adjustedon the sides 14 of the base further to adjust the reading materialsupported thereon, or the book rest can be completely removed. Forstorage, the adjustment brace 32 can be pulled away from a bracedposition against the adjustment stops 22 so that the back support andadjustment brace pivot to a resting position against the wire base.Thus, the stand is arranged in a substantially fiat configuration forstorage or convenient carrying.

The device of the present invention provides a small and versatilereading stand which is completely adjustable, sturdy enough to supporteven heavy reading materials and which at the same time is collapsibleto take up only a minimum amount of space for storage or transport.Furthermore, the device is inexpensive to construct therefore makingpossible a low purchase price. Finally, the device is coated with anon-abrasive substance which prevents its damaging either the readingmaterials supported thereon or the surfaces on which it is placed duringuse.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what isconceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it isrecognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of theinvention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed hereinbut is to be accorded the full scope of the claim so as to embrace anyand all equivalent devices and apparatus.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. An article holding stand comprising a substantially rectangular baseof continuous wire construction adapted to be disposed upon a supportsurface and having opposite substantially parallel sides and oppositeadjustment and article resting ends, the sides providing individualloops in corresponding closely spaced relation to said article restingend and being engageable with the support surface to support saidarticle resting end of the base in elevationally spaced relation to saidsupport surface; a substantially U-shaped back support of continuouswire construction having a closed end and opposite sides, each of thesides of the back support having a distal end, each of the distal endsbeing laterally extended from its respective side through a respectiveloop of the base whereby the support is pivotally connected to the base,the sides of the support providing individual loops at correspondingpositions intermediate the distal ends thereof and the closed end of thesupport; a substantially U-shaped brace of continuous wire constructionhaving a central portion and opposite sides providing distal ends, eachof said distal ends being laterally extended from its respective side ofthe brace through a respective loop of the support whereby the brace ispivotally connected to the support; a plurality of adjustment stops onsaid adjustment end of the base selectively engageable by the centralportion of the brace whereby the brace props the support in inclinedrelation to the base; and an elongated article retaining trough havingendwardly disposed arcuately curved hook portions individually slidablyreceivable on said sides of the base adjustably to mount the trough onsaid article resting end of the base dependably to clamp articlesthereon against said back support with the trough being completelyremovable from the base.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,457,990 6/1923 Morgan 248-4562,014,176 9/1935 Henderson 248-456 2,691,240 10/1954 Kraus 248460 X3,208,795 9/1965 Schultz 108-150 X FOREIGN PATENTS 535,329 9/1931Germany.

CHANCELLOR E, HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

